Football Links

Gil Brandt - NFL.com Analyst and legendary V.P. and Director of Player Personnel for the Dallas Cowboys for 30 years.
"I've been involved with the NFL for decades. In that time, I have known few people who can match Frank Coyle's ability to judge football talent. I value his opinions very much. And any fan who wants an accurate and in-depth analysis of college players headed to the NFL should read Frank Coyle's Draft Insiders' Digest. Frank offers great insights you won't find in any other NFL Draft publication."

Eric DeCosta - Pro Personnel Director - Baltimore Ravens
"Frank Coyle is one of the best evaluators in the business because he does his own work. He's not interested in other people's opinions. He's got a keen eye for talent an d a passion for scouting college talent. Without a doubt, his Draft Insiders Digest is essential for fans and NFL executives. I look forward to receiving my copy every April."

Phil Savage - Senior Bow Bowl Director & former Cleveland Browns GM
"I have found Frank Coyle's information to be very thorough and insightful. In my opinion, any NFL fan who is interested in the NFL Draft would enjoy Draft Insiders' Digest very much. I know how many hours and months the Ravens and Browns put in preparing for the NFL Draft and I think Frank Coyle and his staff do the same thing. It's obvious by their volume of quality information on the college prospects in Draft Insiders' Digest."

Dick Butkus - Hall of Fame Chicago Bear linebacker and founder of Butkus Football Network
"Frank Coyle does an excellent job year round rating the top college players as they prepare for the NFL. Draft Insiders' Digest is a must for anyone that follows the NFL Draft and pro prospects."

Stephon Tuitt #7 - 6-5, 305 - Notre Dame - Sp. 4.9 - Rating 89
Hindu Theory: Richard Seymour
Big athletically talented junior defender declared for the NFL Draft after a slightly disappointing 2013 season. Stephon has the prototypical physical skills that NFL scouts seek in an outside defender for either the 3-4 or 4-3 sets. He has rare size and athleticism and is a high cut blue chip prospect who has upside potential to become an impact NFL starter. He has a huge frame and long arms (34 3/4”) to line up anywhere along the front to create mismatches. He added weight for the 2013 season and failed to duplicate his breakout 2012 performance. He is best in the 290 lb. range where his speed or agility allows him to win on speed and make plays down the line, in addition to power at the point. He is very athletic with top functional strength and rare movement skills for a player of his dimensions with the ability to match up vs top NFL tackles. He is an excellent fit for end in a 3-4 set and five technique or the strong side in a 4-3 scheme where he also projects inside. He has a strong hand punch that needs some further development to gain penetration early on the down. He has a good 1st step that allows him to gain an advantage on the snap, though he needs to improve his initial burst to get past the tackle more consistently. He relies on power more than quickness. His strength allows him to counter well to the inside when his initial move is contained. He has a strong lower unit to deliver great power to push the pocket or stack the POA. He delivers a powerful surge to strike an opponent and drop runners with surprising speed to make plays at the sidelines. He has improved his technique with experience, but needs to add more pass rushing moves. He has definite upside with physical talent including reach and huge frame. He is a relentless defender who combines quickness and power to beat blockers in several ways. His impact ability emerged early in his career when he produced big plays as a freshman on a weekly basis. He can strike an opponent with a jarring punch, but needs to use that technique more consistently. He shows fine power with the physical presence to hold the POA and win most individual battles. He relies mainly on his power and swim move to beat blockers and needs to improve moves like a hump, rip and club. He has the ability to anchor very well, though he must play with good pad level to maintain leverage. He is the ideal for the five-technique role in the 3-4 set where his athleticism and makeup project him as a three down defender. He uses his arms well to keep blockers off his body when attacking and separates fairly well if his initial charge is contained. He needs to use his great reach more effectively to deflect passes as he totaled just five over his career. He is an agile defender who will tackle in space and has the COD to redirect. He shows good awareness with incredible agility and balance to move down the LOS with the burst to finish. He needs to improve his overall conditioning and play under 300 lbs. where he retains his speed. He has a good short area burst to win early on the down and penetrate the backfield.The Numbers: Over the 2013 season, he started 13 games and finished with 49 tackles, 10 TFL, 13 QB hurries and 7.5 sacks. As a sophomore, he started 13 games and registered 47 tackles with 15 TFL, 3 FF, 1 FR, 9 QB hurries and 12 sacks. At the NFL Combine, he came in at 6’5” and 305 lbs. and did 31 reps, but did not workout. At the Irish pro day, he did not run and did a 34.5” VL and a 10’1” BJ. He had decent agility drills with a 4.51 shuttle and a 7.07 three-cone. He is a talented defender with very good agility and functional strength. He is an intriguing prospect with the skills similar to Richard Seymour in AA, body type and Pro Bowl potential. Improving prospect for either pro set that must refine key areas to play up to his potential. Falling top 40 prospect with freakish upside and rare scheme diversity. Starting talent to turn into great value and impact defender.Draft Projection: 2nd Round

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites.

Brandin Cooks #7 - 5-10, 190 - Oregon St. - Sp. 4.35 - Rating 90
Hindu Theory: DeSean Jackson
Fast athletic junior receiver was an impact weapon, earning Pac-12 honors his final two seasons. Brandin has excellent speed with the quickness, agility and hands that has translated into top production over his Pac 12 career. He shows the burst to get deep with the ability to track the ball and use his good leaping skills to make big plays. He has a great combination of quickness and speed with the running skills to provide playmaking early in his pro career. He needs some development as a route runner with better hand technique to release quicker at the line and better understanding of coverage and holes in zones. He cuts quickly at the break point and runs sharp routes with the ability to retain his elite speed very well. He will have to prove he can physical beat the jam on a consistent basis to earn playing time. He must show the toughness to go over the middle and extend for the ball and make the difficult catch in heavy traffic. He must learn to work the middle better and show better coverage recognition and where the holes are in zones to make key receptions. He shows fine hands and the body control to adjust to the pass that gives him a good receiving radius. He has all the tools to become a starting pro with the separation speed to get deep that has drawn raves from scouts. His rare sudden speed allows him to blow by top caliber cover men and has made him one of the fastest rising prospects in this class. As a runner, he has the elusiveness and quick burst to hit an opening and break big plays. He can retain his speed well to track the deep ball to make a catch. He needs much improvement as a blocker to assure early playing time. He adjusts quickly to the pass, showing the ability to shield the ball from defenders and the leaping ability to make the catch. He shows nice development as a runner with better hand technique to release quickly and sharp footwork at the break point to run consistently crisp routes. He shows big play ability to hit the home run, though he must prove he can run the complete route tree and not just play outside the hashes. As a runner, he is very elusive with the burst to hit an opening and is especially adept at the go route. He wastes little motion as a route runner and retains his speed well with the ability to make plays. He is dangerous on reverses that adds another element to his game.

The Numbers: As a junior, he started 12 of 13 games and was named 1st-team Pac-12. He caught 128 passes for a career-high 1,730 yards, a fine 13.5 average and 16 TDs. He carried the ball 28 times for 188 yards and 2 TDs. As a sophomore, he had 67 catches with 1151 receiving yards for a 17.1 average and 5 TDs. He carried the ball 19 times for 82 yards. Over his career, he totaled 218 receptions for 3212 yards for a 14.7 average and 23 TDs. As a runner, he had 57 carries for 311 yards and 2 TDs. At the NFL Combine, he came in just under 5’10” and 189 lbs. and ran 4.33 time with a 1.51 ten yard split. He did a 10’ VL, 36” BJ and 16 reps. He had a good 3.81 short shuttle & 6.76 three cone drill.The Skinny: Fast playmaker with good speed and capable of taking the lid off the defense. He is a well-built short receiver with very good movement skills and the ability to make plays after the catch. Similar to fast receivers like DeSean Jackson in size, speed and pro playmaking potential. He combines fine athletic talent with a fast improving skill set to contribute and win a slot receiver role with the development to provide impact in all multiple sets. Rising top 25 pick and possible first round selection after a highly productive career with interesting upside to excel if he proves durable. At the OSU pro day, he looked good in his positional drills. He may realize his pro potential early if he proves durable for the physical NFL game.Draft Projection: 1st Round

Explosive junior linebacker is one of the best hitters and most productive defensive players in this draft class after another terrific performance last fall. Ryan completed a strong college career with an outstanding effort at the NFL Combine that helped his stock significantly. He is a very active backer with instincts, athleticism and production over his three starting seasons and makes plays all over the field. He is a cut athlete with good size and blue chip athletic ability, quickness and speed to move fluidly for any pro backer position in the 4-3 defense. His rare speed enables him to chase sideline-to-sideline with the ability to run with tight ends and backs in pass coverage. He is most effective in a run and chase mode when covered by linemen, allowing him to flow to the ball and finish with sure jarring tackles. He has keen read and react skills and moves very well with the ability to take good angles to the ball and finish with strong tackling. He has developed coverage skills and is ready for either the nickel backer role or full time starting duty. He made further strides over his final season in that area. He has fine intangibles and leadership qualities to be a team leader and major playmaker. In run support, he is well developed with the ability to stack despite marginal size. He is superior in pursuit with the ability to scrape and sift with excellent COD and open field tackling skills. He has the athleticism to match up with receivers and has shown developed coverage skills. He has a feel for reading and recognizing routes when dropping into a zone with the coverage skills necessary to effectively match up in man or zone situations. His fine speed allows him to make plays at the opposite sideline and is best when operating from a stack position. On the strongside, he can struggle vs bigger blockers and get hooked and sealed off by the tight end and washed out of the play at times. He is quicker to react to plays after learning to use his hands better to stay alive. Late in his career, he improved his hand technique and gained faster control of blockers with the strength to shed on initial contact. He is most effective when moving laterally from the backside. He shows power in his play with the ability to strike and finish with strong tackles. Over his career, he registered 14 sacks and caused 9 fumbles. He has only scratched the surface on his ability to blitz off the edge with minimal use in that role. He is an elite athlete with an impressive size/speed ratio and with some further development can compete for early starting time.The Numbers: As a junior, he made 143 tackles with 22.5 TFL, 6 sacks, 4 PBU, 4 FF, no picks and 6 QB hurries, starting all 14 games and earning 1st team Big Ten honors. As a sophomore, he made 115 tackles with 17 TFL, 5 sacks, 3 FF, 1 interception and 10 PBU, starting 12 games. As a freshman, he was an instant success with 58 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 FF and 5 TFL. In addition, he was a special teams ace. Over his three year career, he started 39 games and posted 316 tackles and 43.5 TFL with 14 sacks, 9 FF, 14 PD and 1 pick. At the NFL Combine, he came in at 6’1” and 237 lbs. with 32 3/8” arms. He did 25 reps and did not run. He added a fine 42” VL and 10’10” BJ with fine drills including a 4.21 shuttle and 6.91 in the three cone. At his pro day, he ran a lightning 4.38 time with a 1.56 ten yard split. Fast rising athlete for any position in the 4-3 defense. Excellent addition and top 25 prospect. He is similar in athleticism and production to Derrick Brooks and Lavonte David related to instincts, toughness, AA and field speed. He is the best Will backer since Brooks and capable of being an early Pro Bowl performer. Top special teams skills to be an ace in coverage and a rookie starting Will backer. Striker with great motor and intangibles.Draft Projection: 1st Round

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites.

Electrifying junior receiver/ returner completed a fine career for LSU, earning SEC honors several time over his career. Odell has been a consistently productive big play performer whether as a receiver, runner or return specialist. He combines explosive quickness and speed that allows him to make plays after the catch or returning kicks. He has shown consistent big play ability in those roles to make defenders miss or run away from them. Over his career, he has been a featured big play weapon for the pro style Tiger passing game that has featured several NFL receivers. He is an excellent all-purpose performer who has natural hands and running skills to fill a few key roles as a pro. He was a consistent playmaker in all roles and could earn the #3 job as a slot receiver as a rookie, in addition to both return duties. He has incredible natural hands who runs precise routes and is able to utilize his great suddenness to create space. He is both very quick and fast with the short area suddenness to create running room and hit an opening. He has top speed with the initial quickness to get into his routes nicely and the ability to make fast cuts at the break point and create consistent separation. He displays top AA and has a fine understanding of the passing game with the ability to adjust his routes and make the tough catch. He has the speed to get deep or take the short screen pass and make a big play using his natural running skills. Despite his marginal size, he displays the toughness and body control to make the difficult catch, take the big hit and hold on to the ball. He releases from the line quickly and fights thru the jam to get into his routes. After the catch, his top running ability makes things happen with his rare elusiveness to make defenders miss and speed to run away from tacklers. He is similar to Percy Harvin and Randall Cobb in speed, quickness, style and AA with big play talent to be a game to game difference maker.

The Numbers: As a junior, he started 13 games and had 59 catches for 1152 yards for a 19.5 average and 8 TDs. He won the 2013 Hornung Award as college football’s most versatile player for both his receiving and outstanding return skills. He led the SEC and ranking #2 in the nation in all-purpose yards with a 178.1 average. As a sophomore, he started 12 of 13 games and had 43 catches for 713 yards and 2 TDs. Over his career, he set the LSU record and finished No. 2 in SEC single-season history with 2,315 all-purpose yards as a junior in ’13. He started 34 of 39 games for three seasons and totaled 143 catches for 2340 yards and 12 TDs. Over his career, he had 2 punt returns for TDs in 2012 and had a career 9 yard average along with a 25 yard career average for kickoff returns. Over the 2013 season, he had 32 kickoff returns for 845 yards and a 26.4 average. At the NFL Combine, he ran 4.43 time with a 1.50 ten yard split. He did 7 reps. He had a 38.5” VL and a 10’2” BJ with a 3.94 short shuttle and 6.69 three cone in an excellent display of athleticism. He performed very well in the receiving drills.

The Skinny: Very explosive athlete with the ability to become an impact player as both a receiver and returner. He is a top athlete with the talent to provide early impact and game changing talent. He can be a slot receiver with the skill set to become a major matchup problem. His top open field running skills gives his club a dangerous weapon in a number of roles. Highly-developed athlete with the developed skills to be a much better pro than collegian. Pro Bowl returner to give an offense consistently good field position. Developed skill set to be a very good pro and he probably does not fall beyond the top 25 selections. Impact weapon with big play ability in a few roles.Draft Projection: 1st Round

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites.

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman Trophy, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, CBS, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year round basis related to NFL and College Football especially during the postseason and NFL Combine and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites.

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites.

Frank Coyle is a nationally known football scout who publishes Draft Insiders' Digest. In its 24th season, DraftInsiders.com is a website and publication dedicated to the coverage of NFL and NCAA Football.